Unity Govt Gave Terengganu More Development Funds Than Pn Did Says Anwar

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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also finance minister, said Terengganu’s development expenditure increased to RM1.59 billion this year. (Bernama pic)PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says his administration allocated a total of RM1.55 billion for Terengganu’s development last year, despite petroleum royalties amounting to only RM786 million.
Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the development expenditure of the PAS-led state increased to RM1.59 billion this year.
He said total petroleum royalties for Terengganu also increased during his administration compared to when PAS and Bersatu were in the federal government with only RM399 million recorded in 2022.
“I’ve mentioned this in Parliament, and the second finance minister (Amir Hamzah Azizan) reiterated it, but they (the opposition) claim that we’re being cruel… They say this is Madani-style cruelty.
“In fact, the federal allocation to Terengganu under the unity government exceeds that of the Perikatan Nasional government’s era,” he said at an assembly for the ministry’s staff this morning.
Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is also Kemaman MP, had on March 5 urged Anwar to explain arrears in oil royalty payments to the state for 2023.
Samsuri said the Madani government would not want to be remembered in history books or by future generations as having failed to settle the outstanding oil royalty for 2023.
In November last year, Samsuri was reported to have said that the Terengganu government only received RM510 million in petroleum royalties.
He said this amount differed from the estimated petroleum royalties or wang ehsan allocated in the 2023 budget, which totalled RM1.524 billion.
Anwar today said that wang ehsan is channelled not through the Terengganu government but through public projects in the state.
“There are urgent programmes or needs, for example erosion in Tasik Kenyir, for which we allocate funds to expedite the project, and part of it, of course, comes from the wang ehsan.
“For small projects, projects for the people, we utilise the oil royalties… we don’t divert that money to other ministries, departments, or states. The funds are solely for Terengganu,” he said.
He added that the same approach was used for states that receive petroleum royalties, including Sabah, Sarawak, and Kelantan.
Samsuri said the Madani government would not want to be remembered in history books or by future generations as having failed to settle the outstanding oil royalty for 2023.
In November last year, Samsuri was reported to have said that the Terengganu government only received RM510 million in petroleum royalties.
He said this amount differed from the estimated petroleum royalties or wang ehsan allocated in the 2023 budget, which totalled RM1.524 billion.
Anwar today said that wang ehsan is channelled not through the Terengganu government but through public projects in the state.
“There are urgent programmes or needs, for example erosion in Tasik Kenyir, for which we allocate funds to expedite the project, and part of it, of course, comes from the wang ehsan.
“For small projects, projects for the people, we utilise the oil royalties… we don’t divert that money to other ministries, departments, or states. The funds are solely for Terengganu,” he said.
He added that the same approach was used for states that receive petroleum royalties, including Sabah, Sarawak, and Kelantan. - FMT

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